


Polaris

by Light_Alt (LightNS)



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Princess!Adora, Stockholm Syndrome, Thief!Catra, You guys chose an explicit rating so here you go, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:46:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25937626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightNS/pseuds/Light_Alt
Summary: “It’s so… bright.”“Lodestar. It guides sailors and travelers on their journeys.”“Lodestar?” She cackles, turning on her side and raising an eyebrow. “What a foolish name.”The blonde turns to face the brunette, a hint of a smile forming. She blinks her celeste eyes a few times and the moonlight reflects off of them, making them sparkle like the bright star they were just pointing at. Catra swallows.“I’ve heard different names for it. Lodestar, polar star… Polaris.”“Polaris,” she pronounces the name carefully like an incantation. “Pretty, I guess.”Adora lies on her back again, smiling as she watches the bright giant shine above them. “It’s beautiful.”“Does it ever… I don’t know, go away?”“No,” she heaves, her smile widening. “It’s like our bond. Eternally present.”Capture the princess and deliver her to Horde Prime—it’s a simple mission. Well, it would be, if the princess wasn’t her ex-best friend.ORA Catradora Medieval Criminal/Princess AU story
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 64





	1. Prologue

**Polaris** [ poh-lair-is, -lar-, puh- ] noun

 _Astronomy_. the polestar or North Star, a star of the second magnitude situated close to the north pole of the heavens

~ **✶** ~

"Thief! Thief! Somebody stop him!" The chunky short woman screeches as she points at the hooded figure running at full speed through the outdoor market with her bag of oranges. 

"Thief!" An old man at his stand of fruits and vegetables yells and points at the figure as it passes, alerting one of the royal guards who just so happened to be wandering the streets. 

"You! Stop right there!" The guard exclaims as he rushes behind the hooded individual. 

From under the hood, a playful cackle escapes the thief just as their hand pushes onto one of the stands of apples at the end of the market. The wooden basket releases a loud crack before collapsing on itself and dumping all of the apples on the ground causing the guard to momentarily lose his balance and fall on his back with a pained grunt.

A woman and her child jump out of the thief's way, watching in awe as they stop and flash them a smile, tossing out an orange onto the kid's hands right before vanishing into an alleyway. The only faint hint they catch of the thief's appearance is the length of the tail that pokes out of their hood for a split second as they turn. 

A few hours later, the sun is setting, and upon a humble cottage near the edge of town, the hooded figure steps into the building, unveiling her disguise and releasing her brown mess of curls from their confinement.

"Catra?" the soft, innocent voice of a child is heard coming from one of the rooms. A delicate small girl with two pink pigtails and faintly pink-tinted skin exits the room holding a stuffed bear and staring up at the girl innocently. 

The girl—Catra—turns toward the voice, ears twitching at the sound. She lets out a scoff and throws the bag of oranges on a table, not bothering to pick them up when the bag falls on its side. "Stop fooling around and tell me where Shadow Weaver is." 

The little girl grins, and soon, her shape morphs, forming into that of a slender figure with slight green skin and long blonde hair. They wear a loose black collar shirt with a pair of tight leather black pants. Their chameleon eyes blink at her, and they watch her with an amused smirk. "Shadow Weaver is out. Taking care of business as usual."

Catra huffs, unbuttoning her cape and letting it fall around her bare feet. It reveals the simple attire composed of some black ripped pants and a fitted leather tunic. "Did you finish your task?" 

They cross their arms, leaning against the door frame and examining their nails. "Scorpia is taking care of that as we speak."

"Perfect," Catra replies before walking past them into the room, though not before the individual places a hand on her shoulder to stop her. 

"Darling, you do realize what you're getting yourself into, don't you?" 

"Don't underestimate me," she snarls, shaking her head and walking into the room. She slips off her shoes and lays down on one of the bundles of pillows on the ground. "I know what I'm doing."

"You're a great thief, but even you've never attempted something as risky as what he's asking for." 

"If I pull it off, we'll finally be able to get out of this hellish prison. We can get out of this miserable town. Never worry about food and shelter ever again."

"In other circumstances, I'd be more confident with your abilities, but considering this job involves personal ties, I'm hesitant."

Catra snorts. She takes out a small wooden plank from below the pillows and runs her nails across repeatedly to sharpen them. "I'm not a fool. I am perfectly capable of separating business from my personal life." 

"Even when it has to do with Ado-" 

She doesn't let them finish, scowls and exclaims, "Drop it!" before they even have a chance of arguing back.

They blink, their beady chameleon eyes burning into her gaze, but she refuses to show any sign of hesitance or weakness. "I know what I'm doing. Now go pull out your creepy performance and find us what we need for the job. You might as well make yourself useful."

They laugh, already used to the girl's dismissive and bossy attitude. "Very well. This seems like a job for…" 

Their figure morphs into the previous little girl's body, and she twirls in her spot, arms extended like an excited child. "Flutterina!" 

"Whatever. Just hurry up. I'm taking a nap." Catra yawns and buries her head into the pillow, falling asleep a few minutes after her roommate has departed, her face scrunched up into a frown as it usually is. 

~ **✶** ~

_"That one!" the little blonde girl points at their unsuspecting victim: the old grumpy merchant at the end of their block that sells overpriced necessities._

_The catgirl beside her giggles, her expression coy as she walks out of their hiding spot behind some trashed boxes. "Watch this." She smiles at her friend before oh-so-casually wandering over to the man with her hands behind her back._

_She walks by his shop like she's lost. At the sight of an older woman walking with her kid next to her, she pretends to cry._

_"Oh, darling, are you lost?" the woman asks with pity in her voice._

_Catra nods in between her sobs._

_The woman frowns and looks over at the man. "Sir? Have you seen this girl's parents?"_

_The man grunts and shakes his head, turns away like he's annoyed. The woman frowns. "Sir! This poor child is lost and-"_

_Catra takes the chance to back away into one of the baskets of merchandise containing a bag of bread. She clutches the bag behind her, still pretending to cry. The man looks progressively annoyed with the woman, telling her it's none of his business._

_As the woman continues to argue, Catra manages to slip away. She's nearly gone when the woman's child pulls at her mother's dress and points at her. The woman's expression shifts through a few phases, first confusion then realization then anger._

_But by the time the woman alerts the man, Catra's already broken into a run toward her blonde friend. The human girl barely has any time to react as Catra pulls her wrist and pulls her away. They zig-zag through the alleyways and streets until they're sure they've lost them._

_At the end of one of the alleyways, they stop to catch their breath before bursting into a fit of giggles at their successful mission. Catra opens the bag and shares a loaf of bread with her best friend._

_"You're going to be an expert thief someday!"_

_"I know I am." Catra flashes her a sly grin. "Maybe I can steal your heart too someday, Adora?"_

_"You wish." Adora giggles, taking another bite of her bread._

_Catra smiles knowingly, the way she does when she's confident of something. But she doesn't push the topic any further. Instead, she gulps down her piece of bread, jumps up and announces, "Last one to the house has to do the other's chores for the week!"_

_Then she runs._

_"No fair!" Adora screams as she chases, but the joyful smile on her face is undeniable._

~ **✶** ~

Catra awakes in a cold sweat, panting heavily and quickly. She swallows, wiping the sweat from her brow and sitting up.

The moonlight shines through the shredded curtains. From the kitchen, she hears shuffling. Catra stands up and wanders toward the sound. 

Scorpia is up and active, cutting some tomatoes and dumping them into a cauldron over an open flame. She looks excited when Catra walks in. "Oh, good! You're awake! Just in time for supper!" 

"Supper?" Catra looks out the window into the pitch-black sky. "It's like midnight." 

"Yes, but you're going to need to be fully nourished if you're going to pull out your mission tomorrow!" 

"So it's settled?" Catra smiles. 

"Yes! I talked to Entrapta, and Horde Prime is paying a big sum of money for the job, if we succeed obviously." 

"Perfect." Catra leans against a cabinet, looking at the ground thoughtfully. 

"I'll have you know she told me a lot have tried in the past, but they've all failed." 

"I'm aware." 

"What makes you think we can pull it off?" 

Catra looks up at her, her eyes stern and confident. "I know we will." 

She looks out the window again, this time her eyes catching sight of the biggest beautiful sparkle in the night sky. It shines bright like it’s taunting her, the memories flooding through her mind and making her swallow.

"They don't know her like I do."

~ **✶** ~

From the window of a distant palace, a blonde girl leans against the railing of her balcony, staring out into the night at the polar star.

She watches with a calm expression, lips pursed and eyes somewhat saddened.

“Where are you?” Her whisper is barely audible, only properly described as the breathful mumble of a lost lover.

"Princess Adora?" one of her servants asks from the door. "Your bed and nightgown are ready."

"I'm coming, Razz." 

"You have a big day tomorrow, Adora. You need to rest." 

Adora turns, regards the old, sweet woman with a warm smile. "Of course, Razz." 

She follows her to the door, looks back at the sky one more time before sighing, walking inside and shutting the doors.


	2. Act I

~ **✶** ~

“This is your last time to back out. Are you sure you want to do this?” Scorpia mutters for what feels like the hundredth time.

Catra huffs, tightening the collar of her cloak and throwing the hood over her chocolate locks. She sends Scorpia a half-crocked smirk, winks even. “You know I do. You better be ready when I come down. We don’t want her making a scene before Double Trouble can properly replace her.”

“Where are they?”

“Hell knows. But they’ll show up.” With that, she exits the bushes they were hiding behind and looks up at the balcony with a strange feeling pooling at the pit of her stomach. She ignores it, instead hooks the rope in her hand to her belt before unleashing her claws.

She headstarts with a jump and hooks her claws into the gaps between the bricks of the wall. She propels herself upward quickly like she’s weightless, using the claws of both her hands and feet to grip onto the wall. Her movement is swift and effortless like she’s had years of practice. Truthfully, she has. 

She gets to the balcony without making a single noise and secures the rope to the bottom of one of the pillars for an easy escape. She turns toward the door. The sun is barely poking its head out from the horizon. They have limited time. It’s now or never.

Catra slips on her gloves before gripping the doorknob and quietly sneaking inside. The tremendously-sized bed is a mess of sheets. The walls are lined with golden pillars and plants and flowers bunched up around the edges. There’s even a fountain at the side of the wall with water clearer than Catra’s ever seen in her entire lifetime. The room might as well be in a palace at the edge of Olympus.

Before she gets a chance to properly investigate the room, the doorknob at the entrance turns, and within two seconds, Catra hastily slips into the wardrobe by the balcony door. Through the small gap, she sees an old woman hurry into the room with a garment in hand.

“Adora, dearie! What have I told you about starting your bath without me?” the woman exclaims as she walks into what Catra presumes is the bathroom door. 

“Razz, I’m not a baby. I can do things by myself too, you know,” a sweet and familiar voice replies, followed by melodic laughter.

“Silly girl! You’re a princess! You’re not supposed to do these things on your own!” The woman, Razz, exclaims.

“Razz, I can take care of this. Please. If I’m going to be crowned today and expected to lead a whole kingdom tomorrow, I might as well do this on my own.”

“Fine. But I will be bringing you your gown once you’re done, alright?”

“Deal.”

There’s a few more footsteps before the bathroom door opens and the woman exits the bedroom again, shutting the main door behind her. Catra waits for a moment, the only sound coming from her gentle breathing. The wardrobe has an overwhelming stench of oak wood, and she wants to get out, but she waits anyway, making sure nobody else walks into the room.

After a few minutes, she hears gentle humming from the half-open bathroom door. She slips out of the wardrobe carefully and sneaks toward the door silently, her hand reaching into her pocket for the cloth.

The first part of Adora she recognizes is her luscious golden hair expanding across her bareback. Her soft, clear skin glows with the natural light spilling from the windows above down the length of her arms, waist, and backside. Catra only manages to catch sight of her side profile—the gentle smile she wears as she hums peacefully, unaware of what’s about to take place. She’s sitting on a tiny stool in the middle of a marble-coated tub. Her right-hand travels the length of her left arm as she rinses the last of the soap away with a cloth. After repeating the same motion for her other arm, she stands up and turns, walking out of the tub to retrieve her robe.

Catra’s heart nearly stops beating at the sight. Her body is perfect. Gone is the tiny, slanky, malnutritioned Adora she used to roam the streets with. The expanse of her damp skin is devoid of any scars or taints, and she has a fair bit of muscle lining the whole of her body. Her thighs are clear and muscled like she’s run a dozen miles for them. Her breasts are full and perky, pink nipples budding out and glistening in the light. Her hands are delicate and sensual, containing not a single blemish or callus. They grasp the robe hanging from a hook at the wall, and she calmly wraps the garment around her body, not at all taking notice of the fact she’s being watched.

As she turns for the door, Catra quickly pokes her head back and hides behind one of the pillars. The door opens, and Adora walks through unsuspectedly toward her unmade bed. It’s now or never.

Catra swiftly and quietly sneaks up behind her, taking the cloth in her hand and wrapping it around her nose and mouth as she puts forth all body weight into wrapping her other arm around her arms to prevent her from struggling. She gravely underestimated Adora’s body strength. The blonde manages to unlatch Catra’s arm quite easily and effortlessly turn the tables as she turns and pins her to the bed.

Her intense, angry glare fades as she soon as she recognizes Catra’s face, which has been unveiled by her fallen hood.

“Ca… Catra?” she asks in confusion. Her grip on both her wrists against the bed softens ever-so-slightly. 

“Hey Adora…” Catra murmurs, tone low, heavy and with a hint of mischief. Her perky ears twitch a little at the gentle chuckle Adora releases.

She finally lets her wrists go, pulling away and crossing her arms like she’s not at all fazed by the attempted kidnapping that just took place. “What are you doing here?”

Catra half-sits up on the bed, leaning on her elbows as she stares up at Adora with a smirk. “Can’t a girl visit an old friend?”

“This is one hell of a visit, trying to kidnap me and all…” Adora arches an eyebrow, sharp blue eyes staring straight through Catra. It makes her stomach rumble with an old, unwelcome feeling. “Why-” she stops herself like she’s wondering if that’s exactly what she wants to ask. “How have you been?”

Catra snorts. “How have I been? Is that all you have to ask me?”

Adora bites her lip, throws her hands to her sides in a frustrated matter. “Well, I don’t know what else you want me to say! Ask you why you’re trying to kidnap me? Plenty of people have tried to kidnap me in the past, but I never expected my best-” she freezes.

And she stays silent.

Catra scoffs, turns her head away like she doesn’t want to see her. Like the mission is just going to disappear out of the blue like that. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken it. After all, she knows that if she fails, it’s game over for her anyway. People who fail the Horde have a tendency to go missing. Forever. That’s the only destiny she sees for herself. It’s just a matter of when it’ll happen.

“Catra…” Adora finally says. “What’s going on?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know…”

“Yes, I very much would. I don’t see you in years and when I finally do, you’re trying to kidnap me!?”

“You’re the one who left!” she hisses.

“It wasn’t by choice, and you know it!”

“Of course I do.” Catra shoots her a glare that could kill, so much hate bottled up in it she’s surprised Adora can still look at her with such softness. “That you were mysteriously stolen from the palace as a baby, grew up in the streets, and then from one day to another you became a princess and left everything and everyone from your old life behind for this.” She scorns. “To think I thought we’d take over the kingdom together one day.”

Adora stares at her for a second—really stares at her, like her eyes are tearing a laser through Catra’s and suddenly her deepest internal thoughts are on display and she feels exposed. “Catra, I didn’t want to leave you. I’m-” Her voice cracks, and she takes a step forward, her hand hesitantly reaching for her. Catra almost wants to take it. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you. I lo-” She stops, dangerous words edging at the tip of her tongue, but they don’t come out.

Catra’s never felt so seen before. She opens her mouth like she wants to say something meaningful, but from behind her, she spots a shadow approaching Adora from behind. She remembers why she’s here, lets out a stifled laugh and slowly shakes her head like the words Adora was on the verge of murmuring aren’t making her heart feel like it’s tied down by a million knots of pressure ready to burst. 

“Oh, Adora…” she lets the words out in a calm, condescending matter. She can almost hear Shadow Weaver’s tone echoing inside her mind. “I don’t think you understand.” Her tail sneaks out of her cape and caresses the side of Adora’s arm. “I don’t need you anymore.”

Not a second later, Scorpia stings the side of Adora’s neck, making the girl mumble out something incomprehensible before her eyes roll back and she falls right into Scorpia’s grasp.

“Wow, that worked. Good job, Catra!” Scorpia grins.

Double Trouble steps out from behind Scorpia, their form shifting into the blonde Scorpia is now holding bridal style. “I suppose it was fine.”

Catra snorts as she stands up from the bed, shakes her hands like they’re dirty. She rolls her eyes, pretends she’s indifferent about the whole deal. “Let’s just go before her maid comes back and finds us here…” she mutters before heading toward the balcony door. “Don’t mess this up, Double Trouble.”

“The same goes for you, sweetheart,” the fake Adora calls back, forming an unpleasant knot at the back of her throat.

She pretends it doesn’t hurt when she catches a glance of Adora’s unconscious face when they reach the ground.

~ **✶** ~

They’ve been traveling for two hours through the forest on a small wooden carriage by the time Adora awakes.

The first thing the blonde does is nearly fall off the wagon, not from trying to escape but instead out of clumsiness. Catra doesn’t mean to release a snort, but she can’t help remember all those times she had to save her best friend’s ass from falling off various tall buildings on their excursions through the town.

“Catra? What’s going on? Where are we? How did we-” Adora turns all around until the truth settles with her. She tries to unlatch her wrists from the knotted rope but ultimately fails.

Catra silently stares her down, unmoving from her spot in front of her. Scorpia continues to lead the horses down the cleared trail calmly without a single word.

“Why are you doing this?” Adora finally asks after she gives up in trying to untie the knot.

Catra refuses to answer, instead turns to watch the greenery as it passes. The sun is up at full force, and she feels hot under her hood.

“Catra-” Adora sighs. “Can you at least talk to me?”

“About what?” she finally budges. She can see Adora’s face perk up from the corner of her eye.

“Uh- did you… dress me?” she asks as she looks down at her attire—a pair of brown pants, black boots, a white shirt and a grey hood.

Catra can’t help it when her face turns red, suddenly remembering the images of Adora in the bath. “Well, yeah, we couldn’t be carrying you around in a towel. Someone might recognize you.” 

Adora dares to laugh, and Catra’s ears get hot from just how fuzzy her stomach feels. She hates her for making her feel this way even after all these years have passed. She absolutely hates her, so much she wants to jump her and pin her down and-

“Where are we going?”

“Are you really asking your kidnappers where we’re taking you?” Catra questions, an eyebrow raised.

“Well, you’re not just another kidnapper. You’re Catra. So obviously, yeah.” She shrugs like she feels indifferent about the situation.

Scorpia laughs from the driver’s seat. “You sure are something, blondie. Catra was right when she said you were a softie.”

Adora looks offended, pouts in the kid-like way she always used to do when they were younger. It makes Catra’s heart pound a little faster. “Hey! I am not a softie! The only reason you guys managed to get me was because you caught me off-guard! I didn’t expect my best friend to walk into my room and kidnap me!”

“Pfft.” Catra looks at her through narrowed eyes. “Ex-best friend,” she clarifies.

“Whatever. You’re still a best friend to me.”

Catra frowns. “I literally just kidnapped you.”

“Yeah, but at least it was you and not some sweaty and handsy thief.”

Catra scrunches up her nose at the thought of that. Still, she’s annoyed that Adora’s barely taking the whole ordeal seriously.

“Can you untie me? My wrists are starting to hurt.”

“Hell no!” Catra crosses her arm and huffs out. “Might I remind you that you’re being kidnapped. Why would I let you loose?”

“Um, if I promise I won’t run off?” Adora asks, somewhat hopefully. Her head tilts in the cute Adora-like way and a strand of her hair falls in front of her eyes. She blows it out of the way, and Catra’s growing progressively angrier at the fact that the girl’s not even doing anything and it feels like she’s got Catra under a spell.

“I’m not untying you. You’ll just have to deal with it.” Catra leans back on the wooden frame of the cart and avoids the celeste stars staring through her.

“Fine,” she mutters.

Just as Catra begins to believe Adora’s done trying to make conversation, she asks, “Can you at least tell me how you’ve been? What is Shadow Weaver doing these days? Do you still live with her?”

Every question makes the temperature of her blood rise until she finally snaps. “Can you just shut the fuck up and stop pretending we’re still friends?”

Adora’s silent for a moment, and Catra doesn’t even want to glance at her, scared of what she’ll see.

“When I told you we’d be friends eternally, I meant it Catra. With all my heart. So even if you don’t consider me a friend, I’ll never stop considering you one.”

The words feel like a slap in the face. Catra decides she’s had enough. She lies on her side, curls her knees toward her chest and her tail around her body and closes her eyes. “I’m taking a nap. Keep an eye on the prisoner, Scorpia.”

“You got it, boss.”

Adora laughs faintly but doesn’t continue to talk. Finally, Catra manages to fall asleep in record time.

~ **✶** ~

_Catra’s seventeen again, lying on her back with Adora on the hill behind their cottage watching the sky._

_“I don’t understand why you don’t like to stargaze.”_

_“Because it’s booooring,” Catra pouts, crosses her arms and shuts her eyes so she can take a nap._

_Adora nudges her shoulder, and when Catra refuses to open her eyes, she pinches her skin. Catra hisses and jumps a little. “What the hell was that for!?”_

_“You promised you’d stay awake this time!”_

_“Ugh, fine! I don’t understand why you like this. It’s just mindlessly staring at the sky.”_

_Adora rolls her eyes and giggles. It makes Catra smile a little, the way her laughter makes her body tremble ever-so-slightly and she feels it from just how close they’re lying next to each other. “You don’t understand. If you look at the sky and think, well it’s just the sky and nothing’s happening, obviously you’re going to think it’s boring.”_

_“But you have to think deeper into it. Look at the stars and think about the meaning behind them. Think about how someone across the world could be looking at the same sky as you, admiring the same stars. It’s just… fascinating.”_

_She’s out of breath by the time she’s done with her sentence, and Catra can’t help but fall a little harder. She bites her tongue, prevents herself from spitting out something she might regret._

_“Look, for example, do you see that one?” She points up._

_“Which one? There’s like hundreds,” Catra grumbles, pretending the way the passion spills out of her mouth as she talks isn’t making her weak at the knees._

_“The biggest one.”_

_Catra’s eyes travel through the sparkles adorning the blanket of darkness above them until she spots the most luminous star outshining the rest._

_She can’t think of what to say except, “It’s so… bright.”_

_“Lodestar. It guides sailors and travelers on their journeys.”_

_“Lodestar?” She cackles, turning on her side and raising an eyebrow. “What a foolish name.”_

_The blonde turns to face the brunette, a hint of a smile forming. She blinks her celeste eyes a few times and the moonlight reflects off of them, making them sparkle like the bright star they were just pointing at. Catra swallows._

_“I’ve heard different names for it. Lodestar, polar star… Polaris.”_

_“Polaris,” she pronounces the name carefully like an incantation. “Pretty, I guess.”_

_Adora lies on her back again, smiling as she watches the bright giant shine above them. “It’s beautiful.”_

_“Does it ever… I don’t know, go away?”_

_“No,” she heaves, her smile widening. “It’s like our bond. Eternally present.”_

_Catra hates the way a simple sentence can tug at her heart from so many angles like a thousand little soldiers are trying it to rip it apart. It feels like a trojan horse, a light at the end of the tunnel that turns out to be a fallen sparkle. She wants so desperately to succumb to the feeling nagging at her chest—the one that’s been present since the first time Adora held her hand back when they were nine years old after Catra tripped in the middle of the street and nobody helped her. The one that’s been expanding across the bounds of her chest ever since Adora hugged her the night she burst into tears when they were thirteen after Shadow Weaver almost kicked her out of the house and left her on the streets to rot, but Adora managed to convince her otherwise. The one that toys with her every winter night she watches Adora sleep, cuddled up next to her to conserve warmth and sometimes they awake with their arms enlaced and legs intertwined like lovers the night after their wedding._

_She hates it. She absolutely hates it._

_“You okay?” Adora asks when she notices Catra’s intense frown._

_The way her eyes twinkle with the moonlight doesn’t help the situation at all. She gulps down her apprehension, mouth opening, the words coming dangerously close to slipping out._

_“Adora, I-” Her best friend stares at her with such wide eyes she feels like her whole world is collapsing on her. “I think we should go to bed. I’m tired,” she murmurs._

_Her fears get ahold of her, and she doesn’t tell her. She decides it’s better not to. She can’t risk losing their friendship. It’s the last meaningful thing she has left in this world._

_“Oh…” Adora mutters, slight disappointment in her tone. “Yes, sure. Let’s go to bed,” she says as she gets up and offers Catra a hand._

_They don’t cuddle that night, and Catra feels like she’s freezing for most of it._

_The next day, they take Adora away—the palace guards. They claim she’s the lost princess, stolen away from her castle years ago. They almost arrest Shadow Weaver too, but Adora manages to convince her she found her on the streets._

_“You’re leaving?” Catra stares at her with glossy eyes._

_“They’re not giving me another choice.”_

_Catra turns away, rage bubbling up inside her._

_“Catra, I lov-”_

_“Just go.” She doesn’t want to hear it. She knows what she’s about to say, and she doesn’t want to hear it. “Go live your life.”_

_“I can’t do that without knowing if you’ll be okay.”_

_Catra bites her lip hard enough to draw blood. “I’ll be fine. I’m always fine.” Her voice cracks near the end, and she shuts her eyes to keep from crying. “Just, please, Adora, leave.”_

_Adora pulls her into a hug, lets the whole of her body envelop her and her warmth gather at their chests. Catra’s breathing hard, barely able to contain the tears._

_“This isn’t goodbye,” Adora says before she finally pulls away and turns to leave._

_Catra prevents herself from running after her, begging her to stay. She swallows it. Doesn’t even cry._

_She hates the feeling of her heart ripping into a billion shreds. She absolutely hates it._

_That night, she stares at the sky behind their cottage, looks up at Polaris silently, hoping that on the other side of the city, Adora’s staring at it with her too._

~ **✶** ~

“Catra!” Scorpia awakes the girl with a shout.

Catra barely has time to react before one of the men ambushing them grabs her by the tail and pulls her out of the wagon. It takes her a few seconds, longer than she’d like to admit, to come to her senses and land upside down on her arms, doing a handstand as opposed to falling on her back like the man had most likely predicted and retaliating back. She jumps on him, covers his vision with her torso as she fights off another one jumping at her. Scorpia’s fighting off two more on the front of the carriage and Adora-

Her eyes widen, remembering Adora. She looks back only to find Adora’s managed to untie the knot on her ankles and is now fighting one off with a few kicks. Catra’s too distracted to notice a third jumping out of the bushes and tackling her, holding a blade to her neck.

“Oh, pretty lady, no need to be scared. We’d just like some compensation, and we’ll be on our merry way.”

“Like hell you’ll get anything!” Adora exclaims behind her and kicks him off of her.

“Adora! Behind you!” Catra barely manages to call out as the previous man she was holding down comes at her. The blonde dodges the attack swiftly and kicks him on top of the other. Scorpia’s already managed to sting a few more, and Catra knocks out the last after she jumps to her feet.

She takes a moment to catch her breath, then looks up at the blonde grinning at her like an idiot. “I totally saved your ass there,” she points out coyly. 

“Whatever,” Catra dismisses her.

“What do we do with them?” Scorpia asks, pointing down at the men.

“Leave ‘em. Let’s go before it gets dark, so we can find a place to camp.” She stops momentarily, realizing Adora’s legs are free and she can run now. Why isn’t she running?

“Why did you-” Catra doesn’t even know how to word it.

Adora looks down at her legs and laughs, realizing what she means. “I wasn’t about to leave you with them. Plus, this is the most action I’ve gotten in forever. This might as well be a vacation for me.”

Catra grows progressively annoyed at that. “Vacation? What don’t you understand about kidnapping!?”

Adora chuckles again, shrugs her shoulders. “I’m here with you. What more could I want? This feels like old times.”

Catra face-palms. She can’t believe the idiocy behind the girl. “Whatever, just, get in the carriage.”

“You know, you need to learn to ask things nicely, Catra,” she teases as she jumps on the wooden wagon. Catra follows behind, refusing to comment on it and instead rolls her eyes.

By the time the sun has set, they arrive at a small clearing in between the forest, a short distance away from the river they’ve been following. The night creatures are singing their chorus together faintly in the background, and Catra can’t help but feel sleepy even though she’s just taken a few hours long nap.

“I’ll prepare supper,” Scorpia announces as she starts unloading some of their food. It’s only a couple pieces of bread and some raw vegetables they’ll put to a boil. Certainly nothing like what Adora’s used to, but who cares? She’s their prisoner. At least, that’s what she’s supposed to be. The blonde girl certainly isn’t acting that way, however. 

“I’ll go get us more water from the river,” Catra mutters, yawning and stretching her arms.

“Can I come with?” Adora asks. Her wrists are still tied, and Catra can’t help but feel a little bad about it.

“Fine. Whatever.” She lets her go first so she can keep an eye on her. 

They walk silently for a few minutes, only listening to the crickets chirp and the leaves crackle beneath their feet.

“I had forgotten what it was like to be outside like this.”

“Do they not let princesses go out?”

“Not often. Maybe to the garden, but that’s really it. Being a princess is a lot more boring than you think.”

Catra laughs. “Yeah, sleeping in a huge, fluffy bed and eating a full meal every night must be hell.”

“Well… It does get lonely sometimes. I do have a few friends, but it’s not like it was with you.”

Catra bites her lip. She opens her mouth to give her a rude remark, but she’s so distracted she missteps, trips on a twig, and falls into the bank of mud beside the river. “Fucking hell!” she curses as she gets up, her attire full to the brim with mud.

Behind her, Adora sounds like she’s dying from how hard she’s cackling. “Oh my God that was priceless! Do you need help?” 

“No…” She grits her teeth as she climbs out, rubbing the dirt on her hands on her dirty pants and only making both worse. “You’re insufferable.”

“You say that like it was my fault!”

“It technically was.” She crosses her arms and pouts. “You distracted me.”

Adora rolls her eyes. “Come on, the river’s right there, just clean yourself up,” she tells her as she slowly climbs down beside the bank of mud and toward the water.

Catra follows hesitantly, once again questioning how the girl can act so relaxed with the fact that she’s been kidnapped. She gets in the water and washes off the mud on her clothing, keeping an eye on Adora from the shore who stares at her with amusement in her eyes.

“You know, it might be helpful if you actually take off your clothes.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Catra mutters and turns away from the girl, carefully slipping off her garments and placing them on a rock by the shore until she’s fully nude. She runs the water over her arms, torso and legs, letting the dirt wash away with it. The feeling of Adora’s eyes burning into her back is evident. She gulps down, wonders if Adora was feeling that way when Catra was watching her bathe. Technically, Adora had no idea she was there, did she?

She nearly jumps two feet in the air like a startled cat when she hears Adora talk from the rock next to her. “What the-”

“Did you not hear me?” 

“No.”

“You really are zoning out.” Adora shakes her head slightly. “I asked if you need help with your back.”

“No.”

“Come on, just let me help you,” she playfully insists.

“No,” her tone sounds more aggravated.

“Pleaseee?” 

“Ugh, fine, whatever.” Her tail wraps around her waist, somewhat embarrassed.

“Uh, can you, like, untie my wrists?” 

Catra groans, turning and helping get the rope off her hands. She throws it to the side of the bank seeing as the girl has proven she’s not just going to run away or attack them.

“Awesome!” Adora stretches her hands before slipping off her shoes and pulling up the bottom of her pants. She walks into the river by her.

Catra just stands there staring at her with her arms crossed.

“Are you gonna turn around?” Adora raises an eyebrow.

“Right…” Catra mutters awkwardly.

She isn’t expecting for Adora’s hand to be so cold when it touches her. The hairs on her arms and tail stand up like she’s got goosebumps but slowly fall as the girl gently caresses the expanse of her back.

Her hands eventually warm up as they massage the area around her shoulders and down her spine. Her delicate fingers graze the sides of her waist ever-so-gently, making the electricity flow across her skin. The dirt washes away, and Adora spends some time untangling her mess of curls, very gently, and very unlike the way she does it.

Her hands then run across to the front of her shoulders and neck like she’s giving her a massage, and Catra doesn’t even dare to tell her she can technically clean herself there because the way she’s touching her with so much care and affection makes her mind foggy. Her touch reminds her of the way they used to snuggle all those nights, hands unafraid to explore each other’s bodies in comforting ways, never sexual but certainly intimate.

But this feels different. For some reason, Catra feels like a burning star. Every graze of her fingers incite her body in all sorts of exciting ways.

Adora cups more water in her hands and returns to the back of her waist, bottoms of her pinkies grazing against her bottom intentionally. Catra’s breathing grows a little more labored as Adora presses her thumbs a little harder and pushes their bodies closer together.

By the time Adora’s hands travel to her stomach to wash her there, she’s not even thinking. Her eyes are half-closed, and she can’t help the way her traitor body leans back on Adora to flush their body heat like they’re one.

Her thumbs travel up her stomach and to the undersides of her breasts, spending some time massaging her ribcage. Her fingers edge at the sides of her breasts, not quite kneading but pressing on the skin in such a way that makes Catra’s mind scream for more.

Then she feels it, the way her lips graze the side of her neck and the warmth of her breath blankets her skin sending pricks and needles throughout the whole of her. She lets out an unintentional purr, and the pleasant tremble of Adora’s laughter against her skin makes her shiver.

That’s when it dawns on her what they’re doing, and she quickly pulls away, pushing her arms away. “I think that’s enough of that…” she clears her throat, avoiding Adora’s stare as she grabs her clothing from the rocks and walks to the shore. She hurriedly pulls it on as she hears Adora exit the water behind her.

“Scorpia should be done with supper by now. We should go,” Catra tells her, doesn’t bother acknowledging what just took place. Her mind is still somewhat clouded with both pleasure and frustration.

Adora doesn’t talk as they return to the camp. Scorpia excitedly serves them their plate and asks them what took them so long.

Neither girl answers. Catra instead changes the subject to their route for tomorrow, pretends as if she isn’t still thinking about their moment back there.

When they finally do head to bed, Catra decides to let Scorpia and Adora sleep in the carriage while she places a blanket on the ground and sleeps there, refusing to sleep close to the blonde for the night.

She falls asleep to the sparkle of Polaris shining down on her expression. She doesn’t have any unpleasant dreams that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK... hear me out here. I'm a math major, I just started the semester, I've started to stream on Twitch with my best friend AND I started a Youtube channel on top of that. I'm sorry it took forever for me to release this, I've had it in my back pocket for weeks now.
> 
> Please don't be mad >.< (especially if you follow me on Tumblr where I've clearly been posting so much that is completely unrelated because I have a new micro-obsession that's taken over my life D:)
> 
> This story isn't supposed to be very long. The next chapter will be the half-way point, and then there will be the finale. Anyhow, thanks for reading! If you want to bother me about not updating or remind me until I feel too guilty and have to update, you can do that @lightns881 on Tumblr!
> 
> Love you guys! <3


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